James Van Der Beek's Famous 'Dawson' Cry Wasn't in the Script

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The star of ABC's new sitcom "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23" reveals that he did not mean to shed tears during the "Dawson's Creek" scene that is now a viral sensation.

For a guy who played such a melodramatic character, James Van Der Beek doesn't take himself too seriously these days. That's a good thing, because the internet sure does like to have fun at his expense. Especially when it comes to a certain moment of weepiness that came during an episode of the teen soap opera that made him famous, Dawson's Creek.

"It wasn't scripted, I don't think," he said. "I mean, it was appropriate for the scene. You know, it was just high drama; you've been living with this character for a while and a scene like that just kind of drops in your lap and you just lose it. They yell cut and say, 'Oh my god. That was amazing!' So I remember being completely surprised by it because it was completely sincere. [Laughs.] The fact that it's being used to mock me now, I think it's so funny."

Van Der Beek has made a second career out of poking fun at himself. He's starred in numerous Funny or Die videos -- including one that makes fun of the virality of the famed crying face -- as well as starring in a Ke$ha video in which he plays himself. That's all been good practice for his latest role, playing a satirical version of himself in ABC's new comedy, Dont Trust the B---- in Apartment 23.

"I realized if you tell a joke at a party, if it's a self-deprecating joke as opposed to if it's a self-aggrandizing one, it's a lot funnier," he told reporters at the TCAs this past January.